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The owner of Sea World Helicopters has said the pilot who died in the Gold Coast tragedy was a “first-class man and wonderful father”.
John Orr-Campbell released a statement revealing he was “gutted to the core” to hear about chief pilot Ash Jenkinson’s death.
Jenkinson was one of four people killed when two helicopters collided mid-air on a busy Gold Coast beach on Monday.
“To lose a man and a pilot of Ash’s calibre is shocking in every sense of the word,” wrote Orr-Campbell. “My heart aches as I think of Ash’s fiancée Kosha and his one-year-old son Kayden. We also mourn the loss of his passengers and cannot imagine the terrible sadness their families and loved ones must be feeling.
“We have and continue to reach out directly to offer our deepest condolences, support and counselling to the families and passengers of both aircraft.
“Ash performed his first flight in May 2007 and obtained his Commercial Pilots License in June 2008. His love for flying took him to the Northern Territory where he ran scenic flights until the end of September 2011.
“His professional, bright, warm and welcoming personality saw him rise through the ranks and he became the Northern Territory Base Manager. Here he mentored several upcoming pilots, and he also spent many hours flying traditional owners to survey the land.
“During this time, Ash showed his love and commitment to community — he was involved in multiple search and rescue flights in the area.
“This community-mindedness saw him dedicate over 700 hours and many days away from family and friends assisting in firefighting operations across Australia.
“In December 2011, Ash became a Grade 1 Instructor conducting over 2,500 hours instructing.
“Ash has trained hundreds of today’s commercial helicopter pilots. In 2019 Ash became Chief Pilot of Sea World Helicopters overseeing all aspects of safety and flight operations.
“We have lost a first-class pilot, a first-class man and a wonderful father, partner and friend. RIP Ash, you will forever be in our hearts.”
You can contribute to the family’s GoFundMe page here.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said earlier this week it believed the main rotor blade of the helicopter taking off collided with the front cockpit of the descending helicopter on the left-hand side.
“Now, exactly whether that was the very first point of impact — we’re yet to determine,” said the organisation’s chief commissioner, Angus Mitchell.
“We have a reasonable understanding of what the two helicopters were doing in the critical phases of flight.
“But exactly why this occurred, the range of visibility from both the pilots, what was happening inside the cabins the time — they’re the things that will help us piece together potentially what may have been a contributing factor here.
“But it’s still at a very early stage in the investigation to start speculating.”
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the accident was an “unthinkable tragedy”, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia was shocked by what he called a “terrible and tragic incident”.
